Artillery shell in charity donation bin sparked Bomb Squad response.

THE Bomb Squad was called into Hornsby CBD on 11 May 2017, after an unexploded artillery shell was found in a donation bin at not-for-profit organisation, Fusion Australia.

Myf Webster from Fusion Australia said a volunteer unwittingly took the artillery shell out of the donation bin – it was covered in a wool doily.

Ms Webster said police told her to “get everyone out of the building” after showing an image of the unexploded ordinance to police at Hornsby Police Station.

“Police arrived at the shop a few minutes later and evacuated everyone from the building,” Ms Webster said.

“We waited quite a long time for the Bomb Squad to arrive, so the op shop was closed for a few hours and the entire shop was cordoned off by police.”

Volunteer Phyl Ladd said discovering the bomb was the highlight of her 25 years volunteering for the charity.

“I am convinced someone has been using the bomb as a doorstopper,” Ms Ladd said. ““I didn’t realise the implications and the gravity of the situation, until I took off the doily that was covering the shell.”